🚀 go-pugleaf

Mark W Brehob (brehob@cse.msu.edu) wrote:
: I can't understand why a PC would be limited in i/o setups for anything 
: involving compatability.  Could you give an example?  

Because consoles are fixed, whole-cloth designs, one can design point to
point I/O for all components. As opposed to a PC where one has to use
something like PCI or AGP for graphics. Keeping in mind that AGP is point
to point so its more or less out from under one of the major constraints on
PCI performance. But you can't just arbitrarily widen the processor to
graphics bus in a PC. Nor can one crank up the clock rate. In a console,
these things can be done because both components (CPU, graphics processor)
are custom built for the box.

The next generation of switched fabric interconnects pushes further on this
point as well. But those will start out in the server space and move down
to "gaming PCs" in the year to two year timeframe...

-Z-